1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sound output device outputting sound according to audio data fed thereto, and in particular relates to one that is capable of adjusting volume.
2. Description of Related Art
Broadcast receiving apparatuses such as television broadcast receiving apparatuses are conventionally provided with a sound output device outputting sound via a speaker or the like according to audio data (e.g., data of sound in a broadcast program) fed thereto. Such a sound output device is typically provided with a volume control function for the user to freely control the volume as he/she wishes. Examples of documents relevant to this technical field include JP-A-H06-197395, JP-A-2005-142962, JP-A-H02-218227, JP-A-S63-299493, and JP-A-H09-130698.
With the above-mentioned sound output device whose volume can be freely controlled by the user as he/she wishes, even late at night (in late-night hours), for example, when sound output at high volume bothers people around, sound may be outputted at high volume. No problem should arise if the user voluntarily keeps the volume low in late-night hours, but the user may fail to notice that it is already late at night, or may go away leaving the device on.
In addition, it is essential for a sound output device to be designed such that the user can control the volume with ease. For example, in a sound output device designed such that the volume is controlled by selecting one from multiple volume steps (on the part of the user, by performing a certain operation to select a volume step), it needs to be: easy for the user to see which step he/she should select to obtain certain volume; otherwise, the sound output device cannot be user-friendly.